Visa Student Policies

 

POLICIES FOR NON-EEA STUDENTS ATTENDANCE, HOLIDAYS, PUNCTUALITY, ABSENCE & ILLNESS, AND EXPULSION

 

ATTENDANCE

  1. The new minimum attendance of 85 % will come into effect from 1st October 2015.
  2. The Academic Manager, Paul Gill (paul@ulearnschool.com) is responsible for all matters related to student attendance.
  3. All our visa courses consist of 15 formal contact hours; the minimum course permissible for non-EEA students. A break time of 15 minutes is additional.
  4. Exam preparation courses may only be taken in addition to the General (15 hour) classes.
  5. Tuition for non-EEA students must comprise a total of 375 hours over a given 25 week period.
  6. On their first day at ULearn, each student must attend the induction meeting (Monday, 13:00) where they will receive a written copy of this document and all other ULearn policies and procedures. ULearn encourages students to read these documents closely as they outline the rules governing attendance, punctuality, and tuition.
  7. Classes for non EEA students run full time between Monday to Friday from 09:30 -- 17:00

 

HOLIDAYS

The following outlines ULearn's Student Holiday Policy in keeping with the ILEP and QQI Regulations:

  1. Students will be notified of all public and national / bank holidays during the booking and enrolment process. These dates are also available on the final page of our pricing document that can be found at any of the reception desks. These dates are also posted throughout the school.
  2. All personal holidays must be agreed in advance and presented to GNIB when students go to register themselves with the Irish immigration authorities. Student timetables, including holiday arrangements, cannot be changed from what is originally presented to GNIB. This means students need to have their holidays planned before registering with GNIB.
  3. Holiday periods cannot exceed 1/3 of maximum attendance. Holidays cannot be "front loaded". This means students cannot take holidays from their classes until they have been physically present in the school for the requisite time.
  4. This rule covers all arrangements and holidays whether religious (Ramadan, Christmas), national feast days, or personal.
  5. Please note these rules do not make any allowance for religious arrangements (including, for example, Friday prayers at the mosque or religious feasts falling on weekdays). A quiet room is made available to students who require it.
  6. Student requests for GNIB and Re-Entry visas must be submitted/emailed to info@ulearnschool.com in writing a minimum 24 hours in advance.  

 

PUNCTUALITY

The following outlines ULearn's Punctuality Policy in keeping with the ILEP and QQI Regulations:

  1. Attendance is logged during classes in two sections: before and after break.
  2. In Morning classes, students are logged from 09:30 -- 11:00 and from 11:15 -- 12:45.
  3. In the Afternoon, students are logged from 13.45 -- 15:15 and from 15:30 -- 17:00.
  4. If a student is marked late twice in the same week (or three times in a calendar month), the Academic Manager will contact the student to remind them of their responsibilities under the conditions of their visa.
  5. If required, the Academic Manager will meet with the student face-to-face to discuss reasons for the absences.
  6. Non-EEA students arriving to each session more than 15 minutes late or who leave each session more than 15 minutes early for each session will be marked absent for that class segment.

 

ILLNESS & ABSENCE

The following outlines ULearn's Illness & Absence Policy in keeping with the ILEP and QQI Regulations:

  1. Students must notify the school by email (info@ulearnschool.com) on first and subsequent day of every illness leave.
  2. In cases where students take leave without informing the school, they will be contacted by the Academic Manager after 3 consecutive days (or for a second instance within a month) and a meeting will be organsied. Again, the Academic Manager will discuss the situation with the student and will remind the student of their responsibilities under the conditions of their visa.
  3. In cases where students fall below the required minimum 85% attendance, they will be notified immediately.
  4. If it is the case that they can increase their attendance by regular attendance, they will be given a written warning to this effect. This warning will be stored in their student file.
  5. If a student falls below 85% attendance and they will not be able to make this up by regular attendance, the student will be notified of this in writing. This correspondence will be added to their file. In these cases, the school will also contact the GNIB / INIS to inform them of the situation.
  6. ULearn will, at all times, act in accordance with the wishes of GNIB / INIS with this regard. Please note that in cases such as this final example, ULearn may be forced to take steps up to and including expulsion from the school.
  7. All student absence, whether documented by letter from medical authority or not, and regardless of reason, will be noted in the student file. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the student to supply documentation directly to GNIB / INIS during their re-application process.
  8. Students may not make up time for sessions missed/late by attending "extra lessons". Supplementary tuition will not be provided.
  9. It is the learner's responsibility to ensure that they are fulfilling the requirements of their visa and attending regularly.

 

EXPULSION

The following outlines ULearn's Expulsion Policy in keeping with the ILEP and QQI Regulations:

ULearn reserves the right to expel a student in the following circumstances:

  • Non-payment of fees
  • Violence or bullying
  • Anti-social behavior
  • Damage to property
  • Abuse of drugs or alcohol
  • Any infringement of Irish law

ULearn will not accept responsibility for any loss or additional expense incurred by the student in relation to the termination of services. Students are both legally and financially responsible for any damage or injury they may cause to buildings, furniture, fittings, individuals' or host family property, etc. In the event that a student is expelled from the school ULearn will not refund any remaining tuition fees.